posted on December 29, 2003 11:50:00 AM new
I used to buy all my supplies on eBay. This would be items like Tyvek envelopes, printer labels, etc.
But in the last 18 months or so, I can't get what I need at the price it needs to be at to be competitive. Seems the market for at least some kinds of shipping supplies is now dominated by faceless corporate sellers.
See, here's what made buying the stuff on eBay so appealing:
Not only did I get a much better price than locally, but many times I could cut a deal with the seller to buy up his remaining inventory of that item at a discount. I bought 17,000 Tyvek envelopes and 600 rolls of printer labels that way.
Now, you can't get these slick sellers to deal on anything. They're set up to sell on eBay at their firm Buy It Now price (no auction-style for them), and they'll hold onto their stock for as long as it takes to dispose of it, one at a time.
Dumb, in my view. The smart sellers I bought from previously got all their money back quickly, plus a profit, and they could reinvest it.
Honest to Pete, I have gone back to buying rolls of printer labels at Fry's. It's not much more than what the faceless ones want on eBay and I get it immediately, using the payment method I choose.
Oh, did I mention, the faceless smooth sellers all want credit card payments? That's all they accept. Me, I want a record in my checkbook for tax time.
I think the bright boys have outsmarted themselves. They've set up shop on eBay and think they just have to wait for the sales to roll in. It's not happening. I track these markets.
posted on December 29, 2003 12:52:22 PM new
I used to buy plain white jewelry boxes very inexpensively from sellers. Now I get them through a friend's supplier. We order together to get the volume discount. It's still not as cheap as they used to be on eBay. Yup, there aren't many of us small sellers left on eBay. How the heck do you compete with Sears? eBay used to be a great venue for those of us who don't have the resources to open our own physical store or even an e-commerce site. The big boys just couldn't leave it alone. Well, I guess that's what you call free enterprise. It's the big guys stompin' down the little guys again. This is a sore subject with me as anyone in my household can tell you.
posted on December 29, 2003 01:02:32 PM new
It's the same thing in collectibles.
I used to do very good with LP's but now the listings are filled will items from used record stores and I can't compete with them.
Then, I did very well with lobby cards getting $9.95 and up for each. Along came a dealer offering whole sets of 8 for $3 and he apparently has an unlimited supply so there went that market And, he lists thousands of items a week.
posted on December 29, 2003 01:21:55 PM new
"I used to do very good with LP's but now the listings are filled will items from used record stores and I can't compete with them."
Amen, Lindajean!
I too sold LPs (many thousands) from early
1999 until late 2002. I no longer sell LPs on
eBay unless they are pristine rare jazz records from the furtile 1950s-60s period (e.g., Blue Note, Prestige, Transition). Records from these labels fetch a pretty penny on eBay. Common records are a waste of time, effort and listing fees.
posted on December 29, 2003 01:31:01 PM new
I was not aware that there were large corporate used record stores. I think every one I have ever encountered is a privately owned mom and pop store and with the death of vinyl I know I would be looking for any outlet possible to liquidate my collection and put a down payment and the retirement house if I was mom... or pop
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on December 29, 2003 01:34:31 PM new
The same thing with women's clothing. The thing is I believe there is still a market for small time sellers. I remember back in the good old days, that's what made eBay such a great place to shop. I started out as a buyer and believe me, I spent way more than I normally would in a mall. Now I can't stand even looking on eBay, it makes me so sick. Just learning how to weed through all the repetitive stuff is a pain and I know how to do it. I can only imagine what new buyers must go through.
One of these days, a new auction venue is going to catch enough sellers and buyers to make it a success, like eBay was years ago. It won't end up as big as eBay, but that will be what wins a lot of people over. Just look at certain categories on eBAy and see where the bids are. If people can manage to find the good deals from smaller sellers, they bid much more than the other auctions. At least it seems that way to little old me.
It's just getting to the point where shopping on eBay has become a huge pain in the butt.
posted on December 29, 2003 02:39:09 PM new
Small time sellers ARE getting crowded out. Its a shame because I think that was part of the fun of it. At least for me. Communicating back and forth with nice people and you knew they weren't a big cold corporate entity. And as a seller I like to "meet" people from all different walks and I do try to personalize my service a bit. People say what they say about its a business transaction, etc., etc., and it is.
But I got some sea salts from this woman awhile back. She packed it so nice and put a little card in there. I dont know...it was nice to get that! (Somebody actually thought about somebody else receiving it, you know?)
Well, I am probably waxing nostalgic. The worst part is just like Fluffy observed: that there is very little deal to be had for the buyer. The Sears, and wholesalers, et.al, are the absolute worst with slamming the shipping, too. It brings the price to about a 2-10% discount off retail.
So I hardly buy anymore, I'd rather go get it myself on sale somewhere. But maybe that is the idea behind the muscling in on EBAY. "Retailers Revenge." lol.
posted on December 29, 2003 03:07:25 PM new
I think ebay gets too much bad press and not enough good press. All across America there are bad press news stories like this
posted on December 29, 2003 03:24:14 PM new
Charlene, they did a local story on the news here today about getting anything you want on ebay and a seller who said her best thing was a tie she bought for $1.00 and the bidding went up to 90.00. That was good press. But I dont think that is a big big problem for ebay.
Ebay has its own buzz, otherwise they wouldnt be making the revenue they are. I think its good when they post things like that because there are alot of rip-offs and it takes ebay a while to catch them.
posted on December 29, 2003 03:28:59 PM new
I often wonder why eBay doesnt split into two "divisions"...one for the larger sellers of multiples of the same items and one for the sellers of collectables and or "one or few of a kind" items. That way, a buyer can search both divisions if they so wish or make a choice of one or the other. I would think it would be to eBays advantage to do so.
posted on December 29, 2003 04:05:20 PM new
ms24ktau...I've long been in favor of a split site on Ebay. One division could be named "Cheapimportedcrapfromchina&dollarstorerejects" and the other division could be called "Ebay".
The light at the end of the tunnel will turn out to be an oncoming train.
posted on December 29, 2003 05:01:17 PM new
I wish I was that tie seller but it wasn't. I do sell ties and I can say that some bring good dollars other's are mediocore. I pay less that a dollar a tie so I can sell it for $4.50 and still make a little profit but a year ago I made a lot of profit. I would like to know where the tie sellers buy their new ties i.e. Hermes and sell them for $10.00. They can't be making any money becuase Hermes sells ties for $100.00 and over. The tie market is flooded. I do sell vintage ties and they do quite well. Their is still some designer ties i.e. Nicole Miller that she did sports related ties and they go pretty good.
Cheryl I am sorry that happened to you. From your posts I can tell you are an honest and sincere person. I hope you can rectify that. Good Luck
posted on December 29, 2003 05:19:18 PM new
Cheryl,
I don't know of anyone who has white jewelry boxes cheaper than PaperMart. 2 1/4 inch square (good all-purpose size) comes out to about 28 cents apiece shipped. The only way to get them cheaper would be to source them in China.
OTOH, that 28 cents adds up over time, which is why I went to bubble-out bags, packed in bubble mailers. No problem with damage.
posted on December 29, 2003 05:32:04 PM new
I get a lot of my shipping supplies from City Paper - their prices look pretty good on small jewelry size boxes...
posted on December 30, 2003 02:22:55 PM new
Okay, I have to comment on the clothing sellers:
Some of them are shooting themselves in the foot!
I had some skirts up, and all had great photos and I got myself the best profit margin ever on an Item I Paid For...but as I looked at other items to figure where to start? Sheeeesh, one crappy photo! One photo of an item far away! Far away and all wrinkly!
Crappy, faraway, wrinkly, and poor description.
Hello!
I sew, not as much nowadays, but I learned when I was 13, and made all my own clothes in Junior High and High School.. Guess what? people want to see texture, pattern, heft, drape, workmanship, label and condition. No wonder it is so hard to sell clothing on ebay.
Boy, new years is none too soon!
J
~~~~~~~~~~~**~~~~~~~~~~~
All the monkeys aren't in the zoo,
Every day you meet quite a few,
So you see it's all up to you.
You can be better than you are,
You could be swingin' on a star
[ edited by JaPERton on Dec 30, 2003 02:23 PM ]
posted on December 30, 2003 04:28:07 PM new
I'm not into Jewelry boxes, but U-Line has 4 different sizes, for earrings starting @ $31.00/100, $27.00/1000. Bracelet $40.00/100, $34.00/1000. Necklace $46.00/100, $42.00/1000. I have no idea what other cos. are selling them for. FYI only.
And, he lists thousands of items a week.
